Te Hāhi Weteriana: Para Kore working towards Zero Waste
Conference 2022 affirmed the kaupapa of Climate Justice as the focus of Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa MCNZ for the next ten years. The Climate Justice Working Group has highlighted within that theme the challenge of Para Kore (Zero Waste). As a church we have committed to be engaged and aware of the impacts of waste on our environment and endeavour to educate and enable the church to reduce waste. The journey towards zero waste for many of us requires a change in lifestyle and mindset. Part of the process of moving toward zero waste is unlearning what has become ingrained in our beliefs of what we need to survive or to live comfortably.
Addressing Para Kore also requires a re-evaluation of modern systems of consumption. This means looking at how individuals, parishes, rohe, synods and the wider church contribute to consumerism and how that in turn impacts on our environment. According to the Community Recycling Network, “Our well-being depends on us transforming our relationship with material and energy flows.”[1] This means educating ourselves about recycling and recovery systems that will deliver cleaner, quality materials. The Para Kore movement like most environmentally engaged kaupapa, is also focused on building community capacity and economies. Communities are encouraged to seek recyclers that deliver quality services, while also serving the outcomes of local economies. By choosing local recycling contractors, communities can maximise local spend and generate localized income.[2] Often the motivation to initiate and maintain a zero waste approach is challenging and there are many strategies that are contributing to the necessary change including landfill fees and bans on materials that can be recycled or composted, and recycling fees for tyres and e-waste.
There are many communities and government-led organisations that have taken up the challenge of zero waste. Para Kore is one such organization with a te ao Māori emphasis, that was initiated by Waikato Regional Council to help marae to minimize their waste. The vision of the organization is “Ko te pūtake mai ngā akoranga me ngā Kaupapa ka kōkirihia e mātou i te tirohanga Māori, hei whakau i te hononga ki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku. We educate and advocate from a Māori worldview to strengthen connection to Ranginui and Papatūānuku.”[3]
The Para Kore initiative was built-up over time with the support of the Tribal Development Unit of Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust, Xtreme Zero Waste and Greenup Ltd. A pilot project was established with Poihakena Marae (Raglan), Tūrangawaewae Marae (Ngāruawāhia) and Kirikiriroa Marae (Hamilton). According to Jacqui Forbes (Kaihautū Matua), “The purpose and the value of Para Kore is to educate and advocate from a Māori worldview for a world without waste.”[4] Para Kore has committed to empowering and supporting marae, kohanga reo, kura kaupapa and other Māori organisations to reduce waste within frameworks of kaupapa and tikanga Māori.
As Te Hāhi we can join the Para Kore movement taking small or significant steps to reduce our waste and our carbon footprint. Weteriana churches across Aotearoa are encouraged to seek advice and guidance when developing your strategic plan to include a principle of zero waste. This means seeking information that can help us to prioritize our strategic goal to reduce waste and we can begin with the helpful leaflets provided by the Climate Justice Working Group on our Methodist Church website, www.methodist.org.nz. We want to encourage each parish, rohe, synod, board, committee and entity within the life of Te Hāhi to take up the Para Kore challenge as a whanau, and the first step is to talanoa/kōrero/talk.
By adding this kaupapa as a standing agenda item to your hui, you are making a small change that will have a big impact in our future. Mauriora!
[1] CRN Leaflet – Real Recycling, www.communityrecyclers.org.nz.
[2] CRN Leaflet – Stronger Communities, www.communityrecyclers.org.nz.
[3] Para Kore website, https://www.parakore.maori.nz .
[4] Jackie Forbes, Kaihautu Matua – “The Origins of Para Kore,”